Has anyone rode it?

Whats it like?

Also can you ride there and back in a day?

Got the week of work so looking at leaving Birkenhead at 4am then riding the tunnel, then join the canal network to Leeds.

If we make good time we might try a return trip aswell.

A mate rode it Liverpool to Leeds in a day. Quite a lot in the middle that isn’t surfaced like it is at either end. Plus a couple of diversions away from the water’s edge. It is 127 miles. No chance of there and back in the same day.

Me and a mate did it one way in a day (14 hours including breaks) a couple of years ago for charity. I wouldn’t even consider it again ,I wore skin off in a very delicate area and sat on the edge of seats for a couple of weeks after.

There and back in a day! you’d really have to be shifting to manage it IMO.

Someone at work’s husband did it from Liverpool to Leeds over 2 days, he said it was hard work in places & not very enjoyable.

Didn’t realise it was that far! Only took it as the crows fly!

Would slicks be ok for the trip or do you need grip?

Thanks for the advice.

Leeds to Liverpool, you will have a headwind.

Weather dependent – around my way (Skipton), it can get pretty muddy in places after poor weather. Perhaps a medium tyre like a fast trak or similar would be the best compromise.

Will Maxxis Advantage 2.2 be ok for that?

Or Maxxis Ignitor 2.2.

Only other tyre is a Swalbe City Jet

Certainly the first two, more than adequate. Third one I’m sure would get you there, and would undoubtedly be much better for large sections of it, but you might have a few ‘moments’ round my way.

Well on Tuesday we said we would start the ride @ 5.30am from Birkenhead and ride till we were tired and take the road route back.

Bikes were all set for 12am, chain cleaned, forks lubed and tyres checked.

As a joke my mate said “how good would it be to do a night ride?”

I said yeah, would be good, we have 2 x 4cell lights and a 2 cell as a back up. Both Hope R4’s.

Set off from Birkenhead, see a few ale heads wobbling through Birkenvegas (usual sight). Hit the tunnel enterance and made our way through.

Hard graft getting out of the tunnel when your legs arn’t warm!

Found the way to the Canal and set off, usual walk path with small stones.

Not even 3 miles in and I got that “bike fells loose at rear moment”

ARSE!! Go a bloddy puncture! 1.15am in Liverpool and already fixing a bloody flat tyre!

Turns out it was a stone that pierced the tyre 🙁

Fixed that and we were on our way, tried to keep a 13/14mph average but it was to risky in parts. Once we were inbetween Magull and Lydiate we stopped for a butty and saw this sign 😆

The trail was beginning to get more of a 4-5ft wide path with a rut in the grass to walk on, in the dry this would of been on to ride but as it was wet there was a task of tring not to fall in!

25miles in and I got another puncture, which was bad as it was bloody freezing!

Had to dunk the bikes a few times due to mud, each time we were thinking “don’t fall in soft lad”

We made our way to Wigan for around 7am, covered in mud. Had a coffee in McDonalds then made our way to Liverpool Centre.

Got there for around 10.30am after we stopped for another coffee as the tiredness set in.

Jumped the train to Hamilton Square then to my mates, charged my phone as it went dead mid trip (really should buy a Garmin!). Then I had a nice 8mile ride back home.

We totally underestimated the canal route at this time of year thinking the route would be ok to ride, we will be trying a larger route come April.

Total ride miles from Birkenhead to Wigan and back was 63, rode alot further than that yet this drained me the most. Not sure if it was the lack of sleep or the fact you have to be alert much more when night riding.

Thanks for reading.

Phil

Good write up mate I enjoyed reading that. Sounds like a good adventure!

Good work Phil. Done about 1/2 of the LL and it is hard going in places. Riding along the canal is usually taken as something your ma could do on her shopper. Get out into the fields, though, when you’re basically riding in a muddy rut along a river bank, and it can be a real ballache.

Full trip wouldn’t be for me (for that reason), but hats off to anyone who ticks it off.

We made our way to Wigan for around 7am, covered in mud. Had a coffee in McDonalds then made our way to Liverpool Centre.

There in lies your mistake, McDonalds, you where in Wigan, if you had of had a pie you would have steamed on to Leeds 😉

3rd pic, nice atmospheric shot of Tesco Litherland, also never knew there was a direct train from wigan to hamilton square.

Set off from Birkenhead, see a few ale heads wobbling through Birkenvegas (usual sight). Hit the tunnel enterance and made our way through.
Hard graft getting out of the tunnel when your legs arn’t warm!
Found the way to the Canal and set off, usual walk path with small stones.

Easier to take the left turn in the tunnel the second one that is, and exit dock road, then follow dock road towards the stanley dock,through opening in wall and up the locks and then follow your nose to leeds.

Lol, we rode from Wigan to Liverpool.

We were thinking about that but we decided to use a route “we sort of knew” than one we didn’t have a clue about 😀

Iain I would of required much more than a pie to pedal further 🙂

Garry, thats what we thought “oh this bird only strava, only a 8mph avg speed, we’ll piss that.” Oh how wrong we were.

And yes! Once in the open it’s murder, sodden trails with a rut. Plus the near 0 weather.

Will try a larger distance in the future over 2 days.

Thanks Spen, seen a more mild ride now in south liverpool. Hopefully hit that next week. And certainly not at Midnight lol

I’ve just been to that Tecso above on the way home from Ikea 🙂

I’ll join you next time as you pass

Thanks for the write up, nothing beats a “Let’s go and do something daft” adventure in the middle of the night!

Give it a go after a warm and sunny week next May – you’ll average well over 10mph. Horrible rutty mud at the mo.

Perhaps we should do it as a relay? I”ll take over at Wigan

Sounds like a fantastically silly and fun thing to do – an andventure on your doorstep!

Post up again next time and I’ll see if I can come and join in for a bit – don’t live that far away.